Ash versus Tobias: Redone
by sprinter1988
Summary: We all know that Ash and his Pokemon were hugely short-changed in the Sinnoh League Semi-Final. Therefore, this is   my personal rewrite of the most unfair battle Ash ever faced, with the odds evened a little. Will he win?
1. Heracross vs Darkrai

_How would differences in move choices affect the Sinnoh league semi-final battle between Ash and Tobias?_

**Please note; some of Ash's Pokémon will seem a lot more powerful than in the anime. This is because I believe that Ash and the Pokémon he used in this battle were severely short changed, particularly Heracross, Gible (who here has evolved as he should have) and Sceptile (despite his win over Darkrai)**

**Also note; not one single aspect of the Pokémon franchise belongs to me; not Ash, not Tobias, not Pikachu, Sceptile, Torkoal, Swellow, Darkrai… you get the idea.**

**It all belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, Satoshi Tajiri and lots and lots of others, but not me… sadly.**

**Ash versus Tobias: Redone**

Round 1: Heracross versus Darkrai

"This Sinnoh league semi-final battle is about to get underway" cried the announcer "Which Pokémon will they choose?"

Without a word Tobias threw out a Pokéball. The terrifying nightmare Pokémon Darkrai appeared in a flash of white light, a single tear dropping from its eye.

Up in the crowd, Dawn raised her Pokédex to find out about the Pokémon.

_**Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon. Darkrai can cause people and Pokémon to have nightmares.**_

"This'll be a tough battle." remarked Brock.

"No need to worry." said Dawn, clenching her fist "Ash spent a long time planning for this fight."

"Hey Ash" Barry yelled "If you don't wanna get fined, you better not lose this!"

"He's starting with Darkrai." muttered Ash to himself, before grabbing a Pokéball of his own.

"Heracross, I choose you!"

In another flash of white light, the stag beetle-like Pokémon appeared.

"_Heracroh_" it growled.

"Wow, Ash is starting off with Heracross." remarked Dawn.

"It's a powerful choice." commented Brock "Let's hope it pays off."

"Both trainers are ready." said the referee "On the signal, begin."

The referee raised both flags, signaling the start of battle.

Wasting no time, Ash ordered the first attack.

"Heracross, Focus Blast!"

"Heraa!" cried the dark-blue Pokémon, putting its arms close together and creating a glowing blue sphere of energy between them.

"Darkrai, Ice Beam!" Tobias called out to his Pokémon.

A freezing orb appeared between Darkrai's hands, and the black colored Pokémon launched beam of ice cold energy at Heracross.

At the same time, Heracross unleashed Focus Blast, and the two attacks smashed together in an explosion.

"Those were high energy attacks!" cried the announcer, as the crowds in the stadium went wild.

The light from the initial impact faded, and smoke swirled around both Pokémon. Taking advantage of this, Ash called for another Focus Blast.

Before the smoke could clear, a second glowing sphere slammed into Darkrai, causing super-effective damage.

The smoke cleared and, upon seeing Darkrai still conscious, Ash wasted no time in calling for another attack.

"Use Horn Attack."

The gigantic horn on Heracross' head glowed white, and Heracross took flight, aiming for a direct physical hit upon Darkrai.

Unafraid, Tobias called his next move.

"Darkrai: Shadow Claw."

Darkrai's hand became shrouded in an eerie purple glow. It swung this at Heracross, connecting with the still glowing horn.

Both Pokémon pushed against each other for a few moments in a test of physical strength before Ash decided to counter.

"Heracross, Focus Punch."

The right arm of Heracross became surrounded in a frightening reddish-brown glow, which Heracross drove into Darkrai's side before backing off to a safer distance.

Still unfazed, Tobias called another move.

"Darkrai; Dark Void."

A black orb with a purple glow formed in Darkrai's hand, and it threw the orb at Heracross.

"Dodge it then use Focus Blast."

Heracross flew out of the way of Dark Void, and began to form another glowing orb.

"Ice Beam." commanded Tobias.

Just as before, the two attacks collided, and the area became shrouded in smoke.

Before Ash could respond, another Dark Void attack soared through the smoke and struck Heracross.

The orb of darkness engulfed the bug/fighting type Pokémon for a few moments before fading, and allowing Heracross to drop to the ground.

"Heracross has fallen asleep due to Dark Void." yelled the over-excited commentator.

"Oh, this looks bad." said a panicking Barry.

"Maybe," said Brock "But don't forget, Ash and Heracross have a trick for this kind of situation."

Ash knew that this battle was not lost yet. That trick he and Heracross utilized in battle against Nando and his Kricketune would come in very handy now.

"Heracross Sleep Talk."

Sleep Talk was an unusual move which allowed a sleeping Pokémon to use another of its moves at random, something they would not normally be able to do.

Before anyone could find out what move Heracross had chosen, however, Tobias utilized a deadly move.

"Darkrai, Dream Eater."

Darkrai's eye shone red, and an eerie, semi-transparent copy of itself left its body, sailed across the field and passed through Heracross, ripping through its dream, and absorbing a lot of Heracross' health.

As the eerie specter returned to Darkrai and restored its health, all eyes were on Heracross.

Surprisingly, Heracross had not fainted from the super-effective attack it had just been hit with.

By a stroke of pure luck, Sleep Talk had activated a life-saving move; Endure. Whilst Darkrai's Dream Eater attack had damaged Heracross seriously, Endure all but guarantees that the user will survive any attack and leave it with a bare minimum of health.

Unlike Darkrai with Dream Eater, however, Heracross had no moves with which to regain that lost health, but that did not matter. Ash was determined to make the most of this.

"Sleep Talk again!"

This time Heracross' horn shone white and had a vicious-looking red tint to it.

In the stands, Ash's friends cheered.

"Endure followed by Megahorn." observed Brock "I'll bet Ash is glad he taught Heracross Sleep Talk. That's two perfect moves in a row."

A still sleeping Heracross charged Darkrai and slammed the nightmare Pokémon with its horn, sending the foe hurtling backwards.

"YES!" yelled Ash "Megahorn was super effective."

"Pika." cheered Pikachu, jumping for joy.

Tobias had been stunned when Heracross had survived Darkrai's Dream Eater, but the sight of Darkrai being thrown across the stadium brought him back to his senses.

"Darkrai, Disable."

Several rings of pulsating blue energy shot towards Heracross, preventing its ability to use Megahorn.

"Heracross, Sleep Talk again."

This time Heracross' random move was Focus Blast, and this one slammed into Darkrai without any chance of counter by Tobias.

The force from the impact threw Darkrai across the ground.

Meanwhile Heracross woke up, and Ash pressed his advantage.

"Focus Punch."

Arm taking on the reddish-brown glow once again, Heracross charged at Darkrai.

"Darkrai, Dark Pulse."

A swirling coil of purple and black colored energy rocketed from Darkrai's hands, but its aim was off.

The attack missed Heracross completely, and the stag beetle-like Pokémon struck Darkrai down with Focus Punch.

"Finish it!" yelled Ash "Horn Attack."

Without even giving Darkrai a chance to get up, Heracross slammed its glowing horn into the dark type Pokémon before backing off.

After a few tense moments, the referee raised a green flag "Darkrai is unable to battle. Heracross wins."

As Darkrai's picture on the scoreboard became a silhouette, the crowd went wild.

"I can't believe it!" shouted the match commentator over the din of the crowd "Tobias' Darkrai has been defeated for the first time in this tournament!"

Darkrai returned to the Pokéball in Tobias' hand, and the mysterious trainer regarded Ash carefully.

"No one has beaten my Darkrai before. I must say I found your strategy a little overwhelming."

Ash grinned "Nothing special aside from good training."

"We shall see." remarked Tobias drawing another Pokéball "Try this."

The new Pokémon was yellow, enormous and looked like a bird.

"Zapdos." muttered Ash, before grabbing a Pokéball "Return, Heracross."

Heracross was converted into red energy and vanished inside the Pokéball.

Ash was unsure about what to do against Zapdos. None of the Pokémon that he had with him knew rock or ice-type attacks. Although...

"Swellow, I choose you."

"Swell!" cried the swallow-like Pokémon as it appeared.

End Chapter.

**A/N: Well, there you go. The first chapter of this rewrite of the most unfair battle that Ash Ketchum ever faced.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Oh, yeah, and for those keeping track; yes Heracross and Darkrai did both use six moves each - This is a personal thing, as I think that, after so many years, and so many moves available in-game, It's high time we were able to teach our monsters more than four moves...**

**Anyway, see you next time, when Ash and his Pokemon must face Zapdos (How many of you thought I'd go straight into Latios?)**


	2. versus Zapdos

**Here's the next part. Enjoy.**

**Same disclaimer as Chapter 1: I do not own Pokémon; it all belongs to Nintendo, Satoshi Tajiri and others.**

**Also, please note, I am using British English here. I know the games are in American English, but I'm in England. I will do my best to match in-game spelling, but sometimes the slip will happen…**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

Round Two: Versus Zapdos.

"Well this is interesting." said the match commentator "Ash has called out flying-type Swellow to battle against Tobias' Zapdos. After an amazing defeat of Tobias' Darkrai by his Heracross, Ash appears to be throwing this battle away. What is he planning?"

"Yes, what are you planning." muttered Tobias to himself before calling a command.

"Zapdos, Charge Beam."

Zapdos' wings crackled with electrical sparks. The huge bird thrust its wings in the direction of Swellow, sending a huge beam of electrical energy at Ash's Pokémon.

"Swellow, Double Team."

Before you could blink, Swellow had shifted rapidly, creating six copies of itself, making it seem as though there were seven Swellow in the air.

Zapdos' Charge Beam passed through one of the fakes.

"Now, Hidden Power." commanded Ash.

Each fake Swellow disappeared as the real Swellow's body appeared to become outlined in yellow and a collection of twelve light blue orbs surrounded it.

Suddenly the orbs shot towards Zapdos.

"Dodge it." commanded Tobias.

Zapdos swung away to avoid the attack, but it was not fast enough, and seven of the orbs managed to strike its wing. As each orb popped, it released a small but violent blast of ice.

"Unbelievable!" yelled the commentator over the loud cheering of the crowd "Swellow's Hidden Power is of the Ice element; super effective against Zapdos."

Tobias scowled. More luck for his opponent. This round had just gone from easy to not-so easy. It was time to end this; Zapdos could not take too many of those Hidden Powers.

"Charge Beam, again."

Zapdos fired the same move once more, and once more Ash was ready to counter it.

"Double Team, then Hidden Power."

Once again Swellow made copies of itself to take Zapdos' attack, and once again the real Swellow sent twelve little orbs at Zapdos.

Zapdos managed to avoid three of them, but nine still hit.

It would need a power-up.

"Zapdos, use Charge."

Zapdos landed, folded its wings and began to crackle with electricity, building its power.

"Swellow, Hidden Power again."

This time Tobias was ready.

"Detect."

Zapdos' eyes glowed green, allowing it to sense the oncoming attack as if in slow motion and dodge it seamlessly.

Ash was grinding his teeth in annoyance.

"Did you really think Zapdos would be that easy to defeat?" asked Tobias "Zapdos, Thunder."

"Double Team!"

A massive bolt of lightning flashed through the air at Swellow. The bird-like Pokémon just made its copies in time, with four fakes vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Ominous Wind." yelled Ash.

Swellow's wings became surrounded in an eerie purple glow. Flapping its wind rapidly and repeatedly created a cyclone of purple energy which struck Zapdos, knocking it off balance.

"Wow." remarked Barry up in the stands "I didn't expect Swellow to use that move."

"It certainly looked strong." added Dawn.

"And it gets better." said Brock "See how the purple glow has stayed around Swellow?"

Barry and Dawn nodded.

"That's the bonus of Ominous Wind. It doesn't happen often, but occasionally that move might boost Swellow's attack, special attack, defense, special defense and speed stats. This battle just got a whole lot trickier."

Tobias frowned. Swellow could dodge Zapdos' electricity too well, no matter how powerful the attack was, and now that all Swellow's stats had increased, he would have to change strategy.

"Zapdos, Drill Peck."

Zapdos took to the sky again and flew towards Swellow.

"Quick Attack."

Speed stat heightened, Swellow shot towards Zapdos like a bullet out of a gun.

Zapdos began to spin, so that Drill Peck could do the necessary damage.

Swellow, though, was too fast. After holding a straight course which made it look like both Pokémon would strike in midair, Swellow dodged downward slightly, struck Zapdos' flank and was gone before the larger Pokémon knew what had happened.

"Hidden Power."

Once again twelve orbs raced towards Zapdos, and each one struck.

"Zapdos, ascend."

Flapping its wings with powerful strokes Zapdos soared upwards.

"Swellow, Ominous Wind."

Again, Swellow's wings became surrounded by an eerie purple aura, and with repeated flaps, a purple twister shot towards Zapdos and struck it.

Zapdos continued to climb higher.

"Sky Attack." commanded Tobias.

Zapdos became surrounded by a white glow.

"Use Aerial Ace to meet it head on." yelled Ash to Swellow.

Spreading its wings, Swellow began a fast flight through the air, wind rippling around its body.

Zapdos dove downward, surrounded in the white glow and leaving a long trail behind it.

Swellow soared upwards, intending to meet Zapdos head on.

Ash waited for the right moment, then called out;

"Double Team."

Once again the real Swellow was lost amongst several copies of itself, and Zapdos sailed through them without harming the real one.

"Now use Hidden Power."

Swellow spun in midair and once again sent twelve glowing orbs at Zapdos.

"Detect." countered Tobias.

Zapdos' eyes shone green again, and it easily avoided Hidden Power.

"Now use Charge Beam."

This time the electrical attack struck its mark, and Swellow dropped from the sky and hit the ground hard.

Zapdos' body glowed yellow as its special attack stat increased.

After a few tense moments, Swellow got up, and shrieked in anticipation, flapping its wings in defiance and clearly ready for more.

Ash nearly called out an attack for Swellow, but remembered how often he fell into this trap with his Buizel. The otter-like Pokémon often acted ready for more after taking serious damage, and Ash would let him continue fighting, only for Buizel to faint moments later. The same had occurred with Gliscor in battle against Paul and his Electivire.

Ash would not make that mistake this time.

"Swellow, return."

Swellow vanished back inside the Pokéball as the crowd cheered.

"What a strategy." came the voice of the announcer "Ash and Swellow's repeated use of speedy attacks, Double Team and Hidden Power certainly threw Tobias and his Zapdos. But in the end, Ash made the wise choice to switch. What will he use to counter Zapdos now?"

Ash grabbed the Pokéball containing the Pokémon he considered to be the best choice and threw it.

"Torkoal, I choose you."

In a flash of white light, tortoise-like fire type Torkoal appeared with a cry.

"Coal!"

"Torkoal, Flamethrower!"

Torkoal spat a vicious plume of orange and red flames from its mouth towards Zapdos.

"Extrasensory."

Zapdos' eyes glowed with a golden light. The electric type then opened its beak and launched a multi-colored beam of telekinetic energy at Torkoal.

Flamethrower and Extrasensory collided with each other and exploded, covering the field in smoke.

"More high-energy attacks!" cried the commentator.

"Zapdos, Charge Beam."

"Heat Wave."

Once again Zapdos' wings crackled with electrical sparks. The huge bird thrust its wings in the direction of its opponent, sending a huge beam of electrical energy at Torkoal.

At the same moment, Torkoal opened its mouth to reveal a ball of orange flame. It then released a wind of flames from the ball.

Both attacks met. Unlike before with Flamethrower and Extrasensory, Charge Beam cut straight through Heat Wave and struck Torkoal. However, Torkoal's fiery attack raged forth, seemingly unaffected by the electrical attack that had passed through it.

Before either Tobias or his Zapdos had a chance to even think of countering or dodging, the searing flames carried in the wind struck Zapdos, causing it to screech in agony and drop to the ground.

"Torkoal, Body Slam."

With surprising agility for such a cumbersome-looking Pokémon, Torkoal jumped high into the air and landed on top of Zapdos, forcing it to face-plant into the ground.

"Zapdos Thunder."

"Flamethrower."

As Zapdos' body began to crackle with immense electrical energy, Torkoal unleashed another plume of orange and red flame from its mouth, and struck Zapdos at close range.

There were two advantages to this attack; Zapdos' attack was interrupted, and the strength of the flames acted like the flames used to launch rockets, and Torkoal quickly flew out of harm's way.

"Zapdos get up!" yelled Tobias.

With effort, Zapdos pushed itself back upright, spread it wings and gave a defiant screech.

This defiance, however, quickly became a scream of pain as flames once again engulfed it for a moment.

"Ha-ha! Great job Torkoal." Ash cheered as the match commentator's voice once again rang out across the stadium.

"Torkoal's fiery attacks certainly have left their mark; Zapdos has received a serious burn."

Cheers from the watching crowd rang out through the stadium.

Tobias seemed to be getting frustrated.

"Zapdos use Drill Peck."

Zapdos beat its powerful wings once again and took flight, aiming for Torkoal.

As the huge bird began to spin Ash called for his next move.

"Iron Defense."

In an instant, Torkoal had tucked its head and legs inside its shell, which shone faintly with a white glow.

The spinning Zapdos struck Torkoal, but the increase in Torkoal's defense provided by Iron Defense meant that the Drill Peck attack did little more than spin Torkoal around, which worked to Ash's advantage.

"Torkoal use Heat Wave."

Torkoal's head came out of its shell and its mouth opened to reveal another orange ball of flame. Before Zapdos could right itself from its spinning attack, the fiery winds of Torkoal's Heat Wave struck it from behind.

Zapdos crashed to the ground and shook itself free of the effects of Heat Wave. Zapdos stood up again, only to be instantly seared by the effects of its burn.

"Flamethrower." Ash commanded again.

Once more Torkoal opened its mouth, and once more a plume of orange and red flames shot towards Zapdos.

This time Zapdos did not get up.

"Zapdos is unable to battle." announced the referee "Torkoal wins."

Another huge, excited cheer rose up from the crowds as Zapdos' picture on the scoreboard joined Darkrai's in becoming a silhouette, opposite the transparent pictures of Ash's Heracross and Swellow, and the full color picture of Torkoal.

"Great job Torkoal. You did it!" cheered Ash, only to cringe again as Torkoal began to cry tears of joy and emit a plume of smoke from its back.

"Wow, he's really doing it." commented Barry.

"Ash is on a roll." added Dawn.

"Ash is doing well," agreed Brock "But don't forget, Tobias still has four Pokémon left with full health, whereas three of Ash's Pokémon have been heavily worn down."

"You're doing surprisingly well Ash." remarked Tobias "But that ends now."

Having recalled the fainted Zapdos to its Pokéball, he grabbed another.

"Go, ExtremeSpeed."

The new Pokémon erupted from its Pokéball and had struck Torkoal before anyone could blink. The fire type tumbled across the ground and wound up stuck on its back.

Tobias' new Pokémon leapt back away from Torkoal, and was finally still enough to identify it.

Ash stared at it in disbelief.

"Suicune." he muttered in awe.

"Wow. A Suicune." gasped Dawn up in the stands "You don't see one of those every day."

She grabbed her Pokédex.

**Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon. It travels the world and purifies water where ever it goes.**

"That thing was so fast I should fine someone!" shouted an overexcited Barry.

"That's odd." remarked Brock "That Suicune is a different color to normal Suicune."

"Alternate coloration?" suggested Dawn "Like Ash's Noctowl?"

"I'd say so." replied Brock "And there's something else special about this Suicune. They don't normally use ExtremeSpeed."

"A Pokémon that uses moves it shouldn't?" shouted Barry "Someone should fine him for ten trillion poke-dollars!"

Ash scowled. A Suicune, after those other two? Were all Tobias' Pokémon legendary?

"Suicune, Hydro Pump."

Suicune's mouth opened and a powerful, spiraling jet of water shot out, heading straight for Torkoal.

"Smokescreen." yelled Ash.

A still upside-down Torkoal emitted plumes of black smoke from its mouth and vanished from sight.

The jet of water vanished inside the smoke and came out the other side.

It had to have missed Torkoal.

Without giving a thought to recalling Torkoal to its Pokéball and out of harm's way, Ash decided to go all-out with a devastating attack.

"Torkoal, Overheat."

A blast of white fire with a spiral of orange flame around it shot out from within the smoke and slammed into Suicune's flank. Suicune howled in pain, but turned to its foe once again when Tobias called for its next attack.

"Air Slash."

With a roar, Suicune formed a grey orb of energy before it. The orb shot forward into the smoke, blowing its away and striking Torkoal.

"Heat Wave." yelled Ash, but nothing happened as Torkoal gave a wince and shuddered.

"Torkoal flinched!" gasped Dawn.

"Hydro Pump." came Tobias' next command.

For Torkoal, there was no escaping the spiraling jet of water this time.

The powerful attack slammed into the tortoise-like Pokémon, threw it through the air to slam against the arena wall.

Torkoal slumped to the ground, out cold.

The referee raised a flag "Torkoal is unable to battle. Suicune wins."

The crowd went wild as the match commentator's voice once again rang out over the stadium "And that's the first win of this match for Tobias. Ash needs to think carefully for how to counter Suicune's amazing power."

**A/N: And there we go. I decided to split the win over Zapdos between Swellow and Torkoal because, let's face it, whilst both are good, they are not Sceptile/Heracross/Charizard good.**

**I don't pretend to have a clue how Hidden Power works, all I know is that it can be of the ice type when certain stats and things are right and Swellow with an ice type move was just what I wanted for this situation.**

**Ash has also made his first major mistake of the battle by not switching out Torkoal, resulting in his first loss. How will Ash counter Suicune (I think that you can probably guess…)**

**Until next time… see ya!**


	3. Versus Suicine

**Here's part 3.**

**For those of you paying attention, yes Tobias' Suicune in an alternate color, and knows moves used by the promotional shiny Suicune given away to tie in with the Zoroark film.**

**Same disclaimer as the other chapters; I do not own Pokémon, its characters etc. It's all owned by Nintendo etc. See first chapter for full disclaimer.**

**Now on with the show!**

Round 3: Versus Suicune

"This battle is a job for Pikachu for sure." remarked Dawn.

"Don't be so sure." said Brock "Pikachu does have a type advantage over Suicune, but Suicune also has immense power. I think Ash has another Pokémon in mind for Suicune."

Down on the field, the red pouches on Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity, signaling Pikachu's anticipation to battle.

Ash did not notice, and instead grabbed another Pokéball and threw it.

"Sceptile, I choose you."

"Tiiiile" hollered Sceptile when the Pokémon that resembled an overgrown, bipedal gecko appeared.

"A grass type." said Dawn, knowingly.

"And a powerhouse." added Brock "Sceptile was with Ash for his entire adventure through the Hoenn region, and the Battle Frontier. It's a very powerful Pokémon and it's also a perfect match for Suicune in terms of type."

"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm."

Sceptile dropped down onto all fours, aimed its leaf-covered tail forwards and shot a spiral of glowing leaves towards Suicune.

"Aurora Beam."

A beam of chilling energy that resembled the aurora borealis shot from Suicune's mouth, through the spiral of leaves and struck Sceptile straight in the face.

The spiral of leaves continued forward unabated and tore at Suicune's flanks.

As Suicune howled in pain from the cutting leaves, Sceptile reeled in agony from the Aurora Beam attack.

"What happened?" asked Barry.

"Aurora Beam is an ice type attack." explained Brock "And it's a super effective counter to a grass type like Sceptile. This battle just got a whole lot more difficult."

"Suicune, Aqua Ring."

Millions of water droplets formed around Suicune's body and quickly combined together in three blue rings of water which surrounded Suicune's body, beginning to heal it.

"We can't let it heal." Ash muttered to himself before calling out loud "Sceptile, Leaf Blade."

With an intimidating cry, Sceptile reared up again and held its arms out wide. The leaf-like nodes on its elbows extended and glowed green and Sceptile charged forward, preparing to slash its opponent.

"Use Roar."

Suicune fixed its gaze upon Sceptile and let out an almighty roar. The grass type Pokémon froze in its tracks, reverted to red energy and returned to its Pokéball on Ash's belt as another opened.

"Hera!" cried the weakened bug/fighting Pokémon as it took to the battlefield once more.

"And Suicune's Roar has forced Ash's Sceptile to retreat, and a very weak Heracross has been made to take its place. How will this affect the battle?"

Ash gritted his teeth in frustration, and then gasped.

Heracross had a greenish-yellow glow surrounding it.

"And Heracross' swarm ability has been activated. Swarm increases the power of bug type moves in battle. Tobias and Suicune better act quickly, or this could cost them."

Tobias intended to do exactly that.

"Suicune, ExtremeSpeed."

"Endure."

In a blur, Suicune charged across the field towards Heracross, who drew its arms in a cross in front of itself and its shell solidified.

Suicune crashed into Heracross, but Endure prevented it from losing its one bit of health.

"Heracross use Megahorn."

Before Suicune had a chance to retreat, Heracross' horn shone white and gained a vicious-looking red tint to it. Heracross slammed its horn into Suicune and threw it across the field.

"Sheer Cold."

Suicune's body glowed light blue, and with a howl from the Pokémon itself, the glow spread out quickly, freezing everything in its path.

"Endure!"

Heracross drew its arms across itself, its shell solidified, and Sheer Cold passed by without effect.

Ash grabbed Heracross' Pokéball and made the switch.

"Quick Attack."

Sceptile reappeared on the battlefield and shot forwards at high speed, the ice adding a nice boost.

"ExtremeSpeed."

With a defiant cry Suicune charged towards the oncoming Sceptile.

Ash grinned before calling out "Dragon Pulse."

Still running towards Suicune, Sceptile opened its mouth and an orb of blue energy formed within. The orb began to pulsate as it shot forward and then crashed into the rapidly approaching Suicune, striking it right on the head and causing it to tumble over.

"Leaf Blade."

The nodes on Sceptile's arms glowed green and elongated into leaf shapes. Using speed it gained from Quick Attack, Sceptile struck Suicune along one flank before turning on the spot and repeating the same action along the other flank.

Sceptile came to a stop on its knees right in front of Ash, head down.

Behind it, Suicune whimpered on the ground.

Suddenly millions of water droplets appeared in the air and were absorbed by Suicune as Aqua Ring once again healed some of its health.

"Well that's the damage done by your Heracross and Torkoal healed up." remarked Tobias "Now to end this; Suicune; Sheer Cold!"

The blue glow pulsed out from Suicune's body towards Sceptile"

"Sceptile!" yelled Ash "Look out!"

But Sceptile could not move. The ice was approaching too fast.

"Sceptile!"

The blue glow passed, and where Sceptile had once stood, now there was only ice.

Everyone waited with held breath, trying to catch a sign of Sceptile.

Aqua Ring kicked in once again to heal Suicune some more.

"Sceptile!" yelled Ash frantically "Sceptile, if you can hear me, use Dragon Pulse."

All was silent for a few moments, and then a section of the ice glowed an eerie blue then shattered as the attack from beneath it blasted its way through.

Shards of ice rose high into the air before falling at a rapid rate and pummeling Suicune. Sceptile leapt from the hole it had created in the ice and landed on the surface, looking no worse for the wear.

"It survived." gasped Dawn.

Brock nodded "Sheer Cold can be a devastating move, but if the opposing Pokémon is of a higher level, the attack always fails to do anything, even in a situation where the move should be super effective."

"So Sceptile is more powerful than Suicune?" asked Barry.

"Perhaps by as little as one level." said Brock "But it is enough. Don't forget, in the past Tobias has usually relied on Darkrai for everything. Therefore it stands to reason that his other Pokémon are not as powerful as Darkrai."

"Sceptile, power up." yelled Ash.

"Sceeeeeh." the grass type Pokémon growled as it began to absorb the sunlight.

"Suicune, Aurora Beam."

Suicune charged up the attack and fired.

"Unleash Solar Beam."

A bright beam of sunlight shot from Sceptile's mouth, blasted through Aurora Beam and slammed into Suicune, sending it flying.

"Now use Leaf Storm."

A rapidly swirling vortex of glowing leaves shot towards Suicune and slammed into it where it lay.

The force of the attack flipped Suicune over several times before the large, blue Pokémon hit the ground in a heap.

The referee raised his flag "Suicune is unable to battle. Sceptile wins."

"Unbelievable! Ash and his Pokémon have now defeated three of Tobias' legendary Pokémon, with only Torkoal being defeated. This is rapidly turning into one of the greatest battles ever seen in the Lily of the Valley Conference."

"Well done, Sceptile. You were great."

"_Tiiile."_

"He's doing it." exclaimed Dawn "Ash is actually doing it."

"Ash, if you don't wanna get fined, you're gonna have to keep winning." yelled Barry.

"Hmm, yes that was a job well done by you and your Sceptile." remarked Tobias "But let's see how you do against this."

He threw the Pokéball.

**A/N: And I'm going to be mean and leave it there. What is Tobias' next Pokémon? Will it be Latios or maybe something else? You'll have to wait until next time.**

**See ya!**


	4. A Dragon's Fight

**And here we go with round four. It's a little shorter than previous chapters, but it does what it needs to. Also, prepare to see an old face, but evolved, as it really should have.**

**Same disclaimer as before; Pokemon not owned by me, but by Nintendo, Game Freak, Satoshi Tajiri etc. etc**

**On with the Show!**

Round Four: A Dragon's Fight

The Pokéball snapped open, and a ball of white light was emitted from it. The light faded to reveal a monstrous Pokémon.

"_Heeeatraaaaan_." it growled.

Ash swallowed nervously.

_Heatran_.

Dawn took out her Pokédex again to examine Heatran

**Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokémon. Heatran lives in volcanic caves and uses its cross-shaped claws to maneuver across stone walls.**

"And Tobias' next Pokémon is Heatran." announced the match commentator "How will Ash counter this Pokémon with its fire and steel type combination?"

"Sceptile, return." said Ash, holding up Sceptile's Pokéball.

Sceptile vanished inside, and Ash placed the Pokéball back on his belt before grabbing another.

He held it in his hand, studying it. He reflected on the Pokémon on the inside; and how it had evolved after his battle with Conway earlier in the tournament.

He grinned to himself. _This is the perfect counter._

"Come out and use Dig."

He threw the Pokéball and a flash of white light announced the Pokémon's arrival, but it vanished down a hole it made in the ice that still covered most of the battlefield.

"Iron Defense." Tobias ordered calmly.

Heatran tucked its legs into itself, and a gleam of white shone over it.

Ash's Pokémon came up from underneath it and struck.

The damage caused Heatran to reel back, allowing Ash's Pokémon to appear.

"Now use Rock Smash." yelled Ash.

The Pokémon swung its claw and smashed it into Heatran, lowering its defense.

"Now use Dragon Pulse."

A blue green orb formed in the Pokémon's mouth and was sent pulsating through the air to slam into Heatran.

"And that's an amazing start to this battle by Ash's Gabite." yelled the match commentator over the din of the crowd "Despite Heatran's protective Iron Defense, Dig still had a double-super-effective power rating. Rock Smash then lowered Heatran's Defense, and Dragon Pulse did some powerful damage. This battle could soon be over folks."

Tobias kept his calm. "Heatran, use Heat Wave."

"_Raaaaaaaaan!"_ the Pokémon growled, emitting a fiery wind from its mouth.

"Twister." yelled Ash in response.

Arms spread wide; Gabite raised its head to the sky, opened its mouth and created a spinning vortex of wind.

The burning winds of Heatran's Heat Wave were sucked up into the vortex. The flames spun above Gabite before being launched across the battlefield in different directions, melting the ice wherever the flames contacted the ground.

"Draco Meteor." commanded Ash.

Gabite's throat glowed orange as a mass of destructive energy gathered there.

It raised its head skyward, opened its mouth and launched an energy orb into the sky, where it exploded like a firework and two dozen glowing meteorites plummeted back to earth.

Some struck Heatran, but most pummeled the remaining ice, shattering it and allowing the water produced by the earlier scattering of flames to pour across the battlefield, drenching Heatran.

Once it was over, Heatran was sprawled on the ground, and Gabite stood upon one of the only remaining columns of ice.

"Heatran, use Earth Power to get rid of the water."

Heatran's body became surrounded in a yellow glow before it raised one of its feet and stomped the ground.

A shock wave shot forward, leaving massive cracks in the ground in its wake.

As the water poured into these, Tobias called out to Heatran again.

"Use Magma Storm."

With an other-worldly roar, Heatran sent a burning wave of molten rock across the battlefield, turning the water into steam, and hurtling at an alarming rate towards Gabite.

"Sandstorm."

Gabite spun rapidly, kicking up a sandstorm that repelled the burning heat.

Heatran's attack stopped, but Gabite's kept going.

What's more, Gabite's Sand Veil ability helped obscure the Pokémon in the Sandstorm, making it difficult to see.

Tobias grit his teeth in frustration.

"Heatran, watch for it, and use Hyper Beam when the chance presents itself.

"_Traaan."_

After a few moments of studying, Gabite appeared.

Heatran powered up the attack and fired, but missed.

"Dragon Pulse." ordered Ash.

The attack shot out from within the sandstorm and struck Heatran head on.

Heatran stumbled backwards, clearly dazed.

"Gabite! We to finish this now! Use Rock Smash!"

"GaaaAAAA!" cried Gabite as he leapt through the air and smashed his glowing arm against Heatran's body.

The mighty Pokémon gave a groan as it slumped over and hit the ground with an almighty crash.

"Heatran is unable to battle." announced the referee "Gabite wins."

"Another amazing win." exclaimed Dawn.

"Ash, if you don't wanna get fined, you'd better keep this up!" yelled Barry.

Tobias recalled his Heatran.

"I must say you are doing very well, Ash; much better than I expected. But this ends now. The Pokémon I will use to defeat you is right here in this Pokéball."

He held the Pokéball up before throwing it up high.

"Let's go!"

"Cooooahhoooo!"

In a flash of light, the new Pokémon appeared. It flew down towards the ground, sped across the battlefield between Ash, Pikachu and Gabite, turned up, spun back and came to a stop in front of Tobias, facing Ash and his Pokémon.

Ash swallowed nervously "Latios."

Dawn took out her Pokédex again.

**Latios, the Eon Pokémon. Latios is highly intelligent and can fly faster than a jet by tucking in its wings.**

"Let's see how powerful your Gabite really is." remarked Tobias "Latios, Dragon Pulse."

"Cooooaaaa!" An orb of blue energy formed in Latios' mouth.

"Gabite, you use Dragon Pulse too!" yelled Ash.

"Gaaaaaah!" Gabite formed a similar orb.

"Coah!" The orb flew out of Latios' mouth.

"Gah!" Gabite launched his attack too.

Both attacks met and exploded in a burst of energy.

"Such power." yelled the match commentator "But can Gabite stand up to this type weakness.

"I'm gonna win no matter what kind of Pokémon he uses." said Ash "Now Gabite! Use Rock Smash."

Both arms aglow, Gabite leapt at Latios.

"Latios, use Giga Impact." commanded Tobias.

Latios became surrounded in a yellow pulse of energy and flew at Gabite.

Both Pokémon collided, but only Gabite hit the ground.

"Gabite is unable to battle. Latios wins."

"Unbelievable! Latios defeated Gabite with just one move!"

For only the second time in this match, one of the images of the Pokémon on Ash's side of the scoreboard faded out as Gabite joined Torkoal as fainted Pokémon on Ash's team.

Ash recalled Gabite before grabbing his next Pokéball "Okay, Swellow, I choose you."

"Swell." cried the flying type on appearance.

**A/N: Well, that seems like a good place to stop. What did you think?**

**I know another trainer in the Sinnoh League was seen to have a Heatran, but we never saw it battle, and I wanted Tobias to have a fire type and I did not want to use Moltres or Entei because he already used**

**Zapdos and Suicune. And there was no way I was giving him a Ho-Oh, as its a Pokemon that Ash seems to have some kind of affinity with.**

**Here Gible evolved into Gabite after battling Conway. I always thought that it should have evolved after that battle, especially after defeating Dusknoir like it did.**

**I let Gabite faint against Latios in the way that it did to mirror how Sceptile fainted in the anime episode. It kind of demonstrates just how strong Latios is, its a Pokemon that I like, and wont let it be a pushover.**

**Anyway, until next time,**

**See ya!**


	5. Against the Eon Pokemon

**And here is part five. Things are getting heavy now, Tobias has only two Pokemon left, Ash has four, but all but Pikachu have put up hard battles. How well will as do against Latios this time?**

**Read on to find out.**

**Yeah, still don't own Pokemon franchise. Getting tired of writing this bit, see chap 1 for full disclaimer thing.**

Round 5: Against the Eon Pokémon

Swellow flew up high. Latios followed it.

"An aerial battle." remarked Brock.

"Ash'll be great." commented Dawn.

"Okay Swellow, Quick Attack." commanded Ash.

Swellow flew forwards at high speed, a white glow trailing behind it.

"Dodge it." commanded Tobias.

Latios flew up high, dodging Swellow's attack.

"Swellow, Ominous Wind."

Swellow spun and utilized the eerie attack, managing to strike Latios. As it did so, Swellow once again benefitted from the occasional bonus of the attack as all her stats increased.

"Latios, Dragon Pulse.

"Double Team."

Latios charged up and fired the attack, but Swellow surrounded herself with various copies of herself and the attack missed.

"Hidden Power."

Every orb that Swellow summoned hit Latios. With Swellow's Hidden Power being of the ice type, Latios took super-effective damage due to being a dragon type.

"Giga Impact."

Surrounded by a yellow glow, Latios charged at Swellow, who flew out of the way without waiting to be told.

"Aerial Ace."

Swellow flew high, seeming to disappear into the sun, before descending at high speed, with wind swirling around her body.

"Lustre Purge."

A pink orb formed in front of Latios' mouth, before being launched as a beam at Swellow, who took the hit dead on.

"Swellow!" Ash cried, horrified.

"Sweeeelll!" groaned Swellow as she fell to the ground.

"Swellow is unable to battle. Latios wins."

"Tobias is actually doing it!" shouted the announcer "He and his Latios are making a comeback."

Ash recalled Swellow to her Pokéball "Good job Swellow. You deserve a good rest."

He cast a look towards Latios, before lowering his head and grimacing.

"Oh no." muttered Dawn "He's losing confidence."

"Him losing two Pokémon in a row and to the same opponent is a bit of a change of pace as far as this battle is concerned." remarked Brock "Ash can still win this, but he needs to stay focused."

"Hey, Ash." yelled Barry "If you don't wanna get fined, don't chuck this battle away!"

"Pika pika?" asked a worried Pikachu, pulling on the leg of Ash's jeans.

Ash looked at his Pikachu and smiled "You up for this one, Pikachu?"

"Pi?" asked Pikachu, surprised "Pikachu." he nodded before leaping out onto the battlefield.

"So your sixth Pokémon is your Pikachu?" asked Tobias "I thought as much."

"Pikachu and I have been together for a long time." spoke Ash "If there's one Pokémon I have that can take down Latios, its Pikachu."

"That's good." said Tobias "Let's do our best."

"You think Pikachu stands a chance?" asked Barry.

"Definitely." answered Brock "Pikachu has been with Ash the longest out of any of his Pokémon, they started their journey together. So long as Ash keeps his cool, Pikachu stands every chance."

"And Ash's sixth Pokémon in this battle is Pikachu." announced the match commentator "Just how well will this little bundle of electricity do against Latios?"

Wasting no time, Ash began the battle.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack."

Pikachu charged forward.

"Dodge it."

As with Swellow, Latios maneuvered to dodge Pikachu's Quick Attack, but Pikachu was too fast and managed to strike Latios on the flank.

"Now, Volt Tackle."

"Pikapikapikapikapikapikapika…" chanted Pikachu as he charged forward, surrounded in electricity.

"Giga Impact."

Latios became surrounded by a yellow glow and flew at the incoming Pikachu.

Both Pokémon received damage, but it was Pikachu who hit the ground.

"Pikachu! Iron Tail."

Tail aglow, Pikachu leapt up high towards Latios.

"Giga Impact again."

Once again Latios countered Pikachu's attack with Giga Impact, and one again it was Pikachu who hit the deck.

"Now use Lustre Purge."

"Light Screen."

As the pink orb of energy formed in front of Latios' mouth, Pikachu's body became enveloped in an eerie light.

Latios launched its attack at Pikachu.

"Jump, Pikachu."

Pikachu leapt up into the air, avoiding the attack.

"Giga Impact."

Latios once again flew full force at Pikachu.

"Quick Attack, straight up."

Almost like a rocket, Pikachu propelled himself into the air, dodging the Giga Impact, and then managing to land on Latios' back.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt."

"Piii-kaaa-Chuuuu!"

Latios screamed in agony as Pikachu's electricity coursed through its body.

"Throw it off." yelled Tobias.

Latios began to fly erratically, try to get rid of its passenger.

"Pikachu, hold on and use Thunderbolt."

"Pika-Chuuu!"

Latios let out another scream.

"Latios, use Light Screen." Like Pikachu, Latios' body became surrounded by and eerie light.

"Oh, not good." remarked Barry.

"Light Screen raises a Pokémon's special defence." said Brock "Thunderbolt's effect has just been cut in half."

"No need to worry." said Dawn, confidently "Ash knows what he is doing."

"Pikachu double Thunderbolt."

"Pika-Chuuuuu. Pika-Chuuuuuu!"

Latios barely felt the attacks.

"Latios, use Dragon Dance."

A red aura surrounded Latios.

"Dragon Dance?" asked Dawn.

"It raised attack and speed." explained Brock "Tobias must be hoping that making Latios faster will help it throw Pikachu off."

"Latios, make a sharp turn."

"Not gonna happen." said Ash "Pikachu, hold on and use Thunder."

Latios spun fast, but Pikachu held on before unleashing his attack.

"Pi-Ka-CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

Light Screen or no Light Screen, Latios was always going to feel that.

"Latios ascend and let's get this over with."

Latios flew up high, Pikachu still clinging on, only now it was for dear life.

"Pikachu, use Thunder once more."

"Pi-Ka-CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

When the attack ended, Ash noticed that the eerie light had faded from around Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Light Screen."

Once again the eerie light enveloped Pikachu, but gave Latios a chance that it took advantage of and threw Pikachu off its back as its own Light Screen faded.

"Latios descend and use Lustre Purge."

Latios sped to the ground as the lighter Pikachu tumbled down to earth helplessly behind it.

Latios reached the ground, turned, looked skywards and began charging up Lustre Purge.

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle." yelled Ash.

"Pika!" yelled Pikachu, performing a flip to get himself facing the right way as electricity surrounded him "Pikapikapikapikapika…."

Latios unleashed its attack, and the beam struck Pikachu, who, thanks to the electricity and Light Screen, barely felt it.

Slowly Pikachu and his electrical energy moved closer and closer to Latios as its attack failed to take out the little electric mouse.

"Now use Iron Tail." yelled Ash when Pikachu was close enough.

"…pikapikapikapikapika… Chuuuu-PiKa!"

Pikachu's tail glowed white, Pikachu flipped, Latios was struck on the head, and all the energy built up in the clash caused an explosion that engulfed the entire battlefield in smoke.

_KaBooooom_

When it cleared, Pikachu was still standing, tired but still up, Light Screen still surrounding him.

Latios was on the ground, out cold.

"Latios is unable to battle. Pikachu wins."

The crowd roared with cheering as Latios' picture faded from the scoreboard.

Tobias recalled his Pokémon and stood studying Ash for a moment, before grabbing another Pokéball and throwing it.

The question that was on everyone's mind was; _what is Tobias' sixth and last Pokémon?_

The answer to that question appeared in a flash of white light as Pokémon number six left its Pokéball.

What everyone was left looking at was a floating pink cat with a long tail.

"_Mew_." it said in a soft, sweet voice.

**And there we go. That's part 5.**

**I let Swellow do a little better in this battle against Latios because, well let's face it; in the anime, Swellow, like Torkoal, was just there to take the hit.**

**Some of you may have noticed that I began referring to Swellow as a 'she'. There are no indications of Swellow's gender in the anime, I just did that because the first Swellow I ever owned, way back when I first**

**played Sapphire Version, was a female. If I write more Pokemon stories, you'll see that I will be pretty constistent with the genders, abilities and moves of Ash's Pokemon; I made a special table to keep record just**

**for the purpose of writing Fanfic's.**

**You'll also notice that I let Pikachu's battle with Latios play out pretty much the same (let's face it, it was pretty epic in the anime, despite the overwhelming unfairness of the rest of the battle)**

**I gave Pikachu Light Screen because Ash really needs to teach his Pokemon a few more stat-altering moves, not just Double Team (as known by Swellow, Glalie and Tauros)**

**We also had a return for Pikachu's Thunder attack. Anyone else notice that it got replaced by Volt Tackle in the anime? I guess this is the beauty of having six moves, rather than four.**

**Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Hope you enjoyed it, don't hate me for Mew, and look out for part 6, coming soon.**

**See Ya!**


	6. Battling the Ancestor

**And here it is, part 6. Not too many of you seemed to care that I chucked a Mew out there as Tobias' sixth Pokemon, but then I guess that after Zapdos, Suicune and Heatran, you were pretty much prepared for anything... but are you prepared for this?**

**Disclaimer; Don't own Pokemon franchise, not making any money off it, just for fun. Real credit (and, let's face it money) goes to Nintendo, Game Freak, Satishi Tajiri and others who are not me.**

Round 6: Battling the Ancestor

**Mew, the New Species Pokémon. Its DNA is said to contain the genetic codes of all Pokémon, so it can use all kinds of techniques. It is thought to be the ancestor of all Pokémon.**

Aside from the electronic voice that came from Dawn's Pokédex, the stadium sat in stunned silence.

Ash was the first to snap out of it.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt."

"Pi-ka-Chuuuu."

"Mew use Thunderbolt." commanded Tobias.

Mew's pink body became surrounded by crackling electrical energy which shot towards Pikachu just as Pikachu unleashed a similar attack.

_Crack-ka-Boom!_

The two attacks met and exploded.

Neither Pokémon gave an inch.

"Pikachu, come back." said Ash. He knew that there was a chance that it would come down to one Pokémon, and Pikachu had the most strength left. But Pikachu would not stand a chance with Mew still this strong.

"Pika." Pikachu acknowledged his trainer's order and ran back to Ash's side as he drew a Pokéball.

"Heracross, I choose you." he threw the Pokéball.

"Hera." once again Heracross appeared on the battlefield. Once more, Heracross became surrounded in a yellowish-green glow as his Swarm ability kicked in.

Ash wasted no time in issuing a command.

"Heracross, use Megahorn."

"Herrraaaaaa!" Heracross' horn glowed white with a red tint and it flew at Mew.

"Protect." ordered Tobias.

"Mew." An impenetrable psy-shield appeared around Mew, and Heracross crashed into it, stopping his attack in its tracks.

"Now, Psychic."

Mew wriggled its body cutely as a blast of psychic energy left its body and surged across the battlefield towards Heracross.

Ash knew how to survive it.

"Endure." he yelled.

Heracross crossed his arms over himself as his shell hardened. The Psychic blast passed by.

"Focus Blast, Heracross."

"Mew, counter it with Aura Sphere."

Each Pokémon formed an orb of energy in front of themselves and launched them at their foe.

Both attacks collided and another explosion ripped through the battlefield.

"Megahorn, full power NOW!" shouted Ash, his fists clenched.

Heracross flew through the smoke caused by the explosion and struck Mew with his glowing horn, catching the Psychic type completely off guard with a super-effective move.

Mew was thrown across the battlefield, crashed to the ground, tumbled across the surface and then righted itself, once again floating in the air, facing its opponent.

"Mew, end this with a Thunderbolt." said Tobias.

"Endu-"

The electrical attack had left Mew's body and slammed into Heracross before Ash could even finish giving his command. The attack hit its mark, and Ash's bug/fighting type Pokémon hit the ground.

"_Herah?" _the Pokémon muttered dazedly.

"Heracross is unable to battle. Mew wins." announced the referee.

The crowds in the stadium broke out into cheers; the first sound made by them since Mew had appeared.

Ash recalled Heracross to its Pokéball. "Awesome job Heracross. You take a good rest."

Ash placed the Pokéball back onto his belt and took another.

"Okay. Sceptile, I choose you."

"Sceptiiiiile." cried the gecko-like Pokémon on his emergence from the Pokéball.

"You think Sceptile has got what it takes to beat Mew?" asked Barry.

"Maybe…" said Dawn, sounding unsure.

"I don't think that Ash is intending for Sceptile to win." stated Brock.

"Huh?" asked Barry as he and Dawn turned to look at the older trainer in surprise.

"What do you mean, Brock?" asked Dawn

"All of Ash's Pokémon are here to do a job today." said Brock "And that job is to weaken their opponents. If they knock them out, so much the better, but if they themselves faint, then they've still done their job, and made it easier for another of Ash's Pokémon to defeat the opposition.

"When Pikachu and Mew's Thunderbolts collided earlier, they were evenly matched. Ash could have left Pikachu in to weaken Mew for Heracross or Sceptile to beat later. Seeing as the two Thunderbolts were even, Ash realized that Pikachu could not battle Mew whilst Mew was at full power. So Ash decided to switch Pikachu out in favor of Heracross, and then Sceptile, as both of them could land hits whilst Mew was at full power, whereas Pikachu would have just been a punching bag.

"If Sceptile does win this, so much the better, but at least this way Ash still has Pikachu to fall back on; it would have lost too quickly to Mew at full power."

"Oh, I hope you're right." said Dawn, turning back to the match.

"Piplup." squeaked her little penguin Pokémon, worriedly.

"Okay, Sceptile, charge up." ordered Ash

The round, yellow nodes on Sceptile's back began to glow as the grass type Pokémon began absorbing sunlight.

"End this quickly with Flamethrower." said Tobias.

Mew unleashed a scorching plume of flames that roared towards Sceptile.

"Unleash Solar Beam." yelled Ash.

The beam of sunlight exploded from Sceptile's mouth, blasted through the flame, easily dispersing it, and striking Mew at full force.

"Now use Leaf Blade."

The nodes on Sceptile's arms elongated into leaf shapes and the grass type charged at Mew.

"_Sceeeeeptile!"_

"Protect."

An impenetrable psy-shield once again appeared around Mew and Sceptile's attack was stopped.

"Flamethrower."

"Dragon Pulse."

Once more two attacks met and exploded, and once again, Ash took advantage to get in close.

"Sceptile, use X-Scissor."

Both hands aglow, Sceptile got close to the opponent and brought them down in a cross against the foe's body and Mew reeled back from the attack.

"Now use Leaf Storm." yelled Ash.

A swirling vortex of sharp, glowing green leaves left Sceptile's leafy tail and began to attack Mew.

"Ice Beam."

A narrow, jagged beam of freezing energy left Mew's body and passed through the leaves to strike Sceptile, throwing it back.

The ice quickly spread across Sceptile's body, freezing it.

"No! Sceptile!" yelled a frantic Ash.

"Aura Sphere." commanded Tobias.

The orb that Mew formed raced across the battlefield, smashed through the ice surrounding Sceptile and struck the grass type hard.

Sceptile slumped over backwards.

"Sceptile!" cried Ash as the referee raised his flag.

"Sceptile is unable to battle. Mew wins."

Once again the crowd broke out into thunderous applause.

Ash held up the Pokéball, and Sceptile vanished inside.

"You did an amazing job, Sceptile. Take a good rest."

Ash took his cap off and rubbed his forehead in anxiety.

This battle had just taken a pretty bad turn for him. He had been ahead for a long time, but now…

"There's no need to worry Ash!" shouted Dawn "You can do it."

"Piplup. Pip pip Pipluuup!" shouted Piplup.

"Ash, if you don't wanna get fined, don't mess this up now." shouted Barry.

"Come on, Ash. You can overcome this." said Brock.

"Pika?" spoke the electric mouse Pokémon next to Ash.

Ash nodded "Yeah. It's not over yet. But it's all on you now, okay Pikachu?"

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned, before adopting a confident attitude "Pika pika."

"Alright then." said Ash flipping his hat backwards and placing it back on his head "Pikachu, I choose you."

"Pika Pi."

Pikachu ran out onto the pitch to face Mew once again.

"And Ash is ending this battle with Pikachu." said the match commentator "Will it finally be able to bring Mew down and pull off an impressive victory? Or will this confrontation be over before it starts?"

"Pikachu hit it with Thunder."

"Pika-CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

"Protect."

"Mew"

Pikachu's powerful electrical attack struck Mew's psy-shield with full force, but the protective barrier remained in place.

"Light Screen." ordered Ash.

The eerie light of Light Screen surrounded Pikachu again as Tobias called out his next attack.

"Mew, use Aura Sphere."

Mew's attack shot through the air and struck Pikachu, but thanks to Light Screen, Pikachu received little damage.

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle."

"Pika! …"

Surrounded by electricity, Pikachu charged the length of the battlefield towards Mew.

"Protect."

The psy-shield appeared around Mew again and Pikachu bounced off of it.

"Iron Tail." called out Ash.

Pikachu flipped in the air as Mew's shield faded. The yellow Pokémon's glowing tail struck Mew hard on the head.

The psychic type Pokémon hit the ground from the force of the attack as Ash called out for another Volt Tackle.

The still airborne Pikachu surrounded himself in electricity again and plummeted towards Mew and landed a direct hit.

"Mew use Flamethrower."

A scorching plume of fire left Mew's mouth and launched Pikachu upwards, its protective Light Screen fading in the process.

Both trainers instinctively knew that this would come down to the next hit.

"And it looks like it's all about to come down to the wire." announced the commentator.

No thought to Protect or Light Screen was given as the two trainers called out their attacks.

"Pikachu, end this with Thunder."

"Mew, hit it with Psychic."

Pikachu's body crackled with electrical energy as a powerful blast of Psychic energy left Mew's body.

"Piii-kaaa-CHUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The electricity passed through the psychic energy and struck the body of Mew as the powerful Psychic attack slammed into Pikachu.

Mew dropped to the ground, Pikachu landed near it.

The crowd remained silent. No one dared even breathe.

Both trainers looked on, eyes unblinking, jaws clenched, hands balled up into fists, knuckles white.

Neither Pokémon seemed to be moving.

**A/N: and I'm going to be cruel and leave it there on an evil cliffhanger.**

**Would now be a good time to mention that I'm going on holiday for three weeks and won't be able to update this until after I get back?**

**Ha! Just kidding. I'm not going anywhere, though it may take a couple of days for the rest of this story to come; I've had most of this written out for a while now, I've just padded it out a bit by adding the bits with Dawn, Brock and Barry. I don't have the end yet. I know how I want it to end, but it'll be a few days.**

**Don't hate me too much for the cliffhanger, or that there will be a few days wait. Hopefully, it'll be worth it.**

**So until next time,**

**See Ya!**


	7. The Struggle to Stand

**And here we go with the final part. I know you all want to get into it, so I won't ramble on too much. Didn't take as long to get out as I thought, but then it wound up being a little shorter than I thought. Anyway…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon Franchise. I do this for fun, not profit. Pokémon belongs to Nintendo and various others**

The Struggle to Stand.

_From last chapter:_

_Mew dropped to the ground, Pikachu landed near it._

_The crowd remained silent. No one dared even breathe._

_Both trainers looked on, eyes unblinking, jaws clenched, hands balled up into fists, knuckles white._

_Neither Pokémon seemed to be moving._

Slowly, with shaking arms, Pikachu pushed himself up.

"Pika." he said, wearily.

Opposite him, Mew slowly floated up into the air again.

"Mew."

Pikachu stood fully, facing his opponent, the red pouches on his cheeks crackling with electricity.

"Would you look at that?" came the voice of the match commentator "Both Pokémon are up. This isn't over yet folks."

"But how?" asked Dawn.

"I don't think either Pokémon wants to give an inch in this fight." observed Brock.

"But neither can have a lot left in them." said Barry.

Ash frowned. He was sure that that last move had decided things.

"Alright, Pikachu, hit it with a Thunderbol- huh?"

"Chaaa." groaned Pikachu weakly as he fell over.

The referee raised his flag "Pikachu is unable to-"

"Mew." came Mew's weak cry as it too fell back to the ground.

"Mew, get up." ordered Tobias.

"Come on Pikachu, please." said Ash "You just gotta get up."

"_Pii-i-i-ka…"_

"_Me-e-ew?"_

"Pikachu, please get up."

"Pi-ka-chu."

Finally Pikachu pushed himself back up, weary, battle worn, but determined.

Then Mew used its front limbs to force its upper body from the ground.

For several long moments, both stared at each other.

Finally Mew's arms trembled, gave way and the psychic-type Pokémon dropped into the dirt.

"Mew is unable to battle. Pikachu wins." announced the referee "Also, seeing as Tobias has no other Pokémon remaining, the winner of this battle, and the trainer heading to the final battle of the Sinnoh league tournament is Ash Ketchum."

The crowds broke out into thunderous applause as Tobias recalled Mew to its pokéball, and Ash ran out onto the battlefield to pick up Pikachu.

The little electric type fell backwards, right into his trainer's arms.

Tobias came across to Ash and both trainers nodded to each other.

"You battled very well today." said Tobias, holding out his hand "I hope that someday I shall be able to face you in battle again.

Ash smiled "You bet."

The pair shook hands and then parted ways, leaving the stadium at opposite ends.

"Well I guess that's it for now folks." said the match commentator to the silent crowds in the stadium "Be sure to come back this afternoon for the second semi-final match."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey, Ash! Wait up!"

Ash turned around at the shout.

"Hey Dawn. Hey Brock, Barry."

"You did great out there Ash." said Dawn.

"Yeah, it was awesome." said Barry.

"Thanks guys." said Ash, wearily "I've got to get my Pokémon to Nurse Joy as quickly as I can."

"Well don't take too long." said Brock "The other semi-final match is coming up soon."

"Yeah, you don't wanna miss that." said Barry "You'll get to see the trainer you'll face in the final in action."

Ash laughed as he hurried off in the direction of the Pokémon center. "Don't worry guys. I wouldn't miss it."

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The Mamoswine hollered in pain as the flames surrounded it. Then, with a weak cry, it collapsed.

The referee raised his flag "Mamoswine is unable to battle, Magmortar wins. Since the opposite side has no Pokémon left, victory in this battle goes to Jacob Jones of Eterna City."

As the crowds went wild around him, Ash sat in the stands, contemplating. Jacob Jones was now the guy Ash would have to face in the finals.

Ash was fairly certain that he could have beaten the team that Jacob had put out today. He'd just need to have a plan in place.

**A/N: And that's it. Ash beat Tobias. I could probably have gotten away with adding this on to the end of the last chapter instead of putting it into a chapter of its own, but I figured that usually when you are watching a battle during the TV series, they take a commercial break right when one of the Pokémon or both are struggling to get it, and if they can do it, I can do it.**

**I'm thinking of doing another story for the final match, but I'm not sure. It could be nice to leave this as a stand-alone, but at the same time I wanna know what happens. If I do, I know that I'll keep the other guy's Pokémon the same as he used against Tobias; looking at the silhouettes on the scoreboard at the end of the battle they appear to be Empoleon, Magmortar, Granbull, Magnezone, Zangoose and Mismagius.**

**Could be fun to write, what do you think?**

**Until my next story**

**See ya!**


	8. Author's Message

Author's Note.

Hello to everyone who favourited this story, I hope you enjoyed it.

This is just a little announcement to say that the planned sequel to this had been scrapped for now in favour of a more ambitious project.

It is a new Pokémon story that will be my attempt to rewrite the Anime series, beginning with the Original Series (The Kanto Arc). It will feature familiar characters (Ash, Misty, Brock, Gary etc.) familiar Pokémon (Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, Psyduck, Onix etc.) familiar places and familiar storylines. However there will be additions; new rivals, new captures, new evolutions, new friends and new adventures.

Each chapter will be considered an episode and some (like the first one) will vary only slightly in their plot. Others will be completely new. Also, Ash will have to actually battle the Gym Leader if he wants to get the badge, and there will be a little less Jessie and James constantly interrupting everything.

The link can obviously be found on my profile; check it out. Hopefully you will enjoy it.


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